Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Anthony Bitetto joined the USHL’s Indiana Ice in mid-season after skating for the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s New York Apple Core the first half of the year. He was plus-seven with 1 goal and 3 assists in 24 regular season games for the Ice. After finishing third in the East, Indiana captured the USHL’s Clark Cup playoff title. Bitetto was plus-five with 3 assists and 6 penalty minutes in 13 playoff games. He committed to playing college hockey at Northeastern in 2010-11.

2009-10: Bitetto played a second season in the USHL with the Indiana Ice. He scored 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points along with 99 penalty minutes in 58 games. He added 2 goals, 2 assists, and 19 penalty minutes in 9 playoff games. Not among the 210 North American skaters listed in Central Scouting’s final rankings, he was selected by Nashville in the sixth round (168th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft.

2010-11: Bitetto skated in all 38 games for Northeastern University as a freshman and was the leading scorer amongst the team’s defensemen. Bitetto scored 3 goals with 17 assists and was minus-two with 66 penalty minutes. Northeastern finished sixth in Hockey East and was under .500 despite winning three of five games from highly-regarded Boston University late in the season. The Huskies lost a tough one-goal game to defending national champion Boston College in the Hockey East semifinals.

2011-12: Bitetto made his pro debut – appearing in one playoff game with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals – following his sophomore season at Northeastern. He had no points nor penalty minutes for the Admirals. Bitetto was the leading scorer amongst defensemen on a Northeastern team that finished ninth out of ten teams in Hockey East. He scored 4 goals with 11 assists and was plus-three with 34 penalty minutes. Bitetto signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Predators in March, 2012 – foregoing his final two years of college hockey.

2012-13: Bitetto split his first pro season between Nashville’s AHL and ECHL affiliates Milwaukee and Cincinnati. After appearing in just five AHL games with the Admirals at the start of the year due to the presence of Ryan Ellis and Jonathan Blum during the NHL lockout, he was sent to Cincinnati and returned to Milwaukee when the lockout ended. In 34 AHL games he scored 1 goal with 5 assists and was -1 with 35 penalty minutes. The Admirals finished second in the Midwest Division and lost to Texas in a first round playoff series but Bitetto did not play in the series. In 23 ECHL games with the Cyclones he scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was -5 with 16 penalty minutes.

2013-14: Bitetto was the leading scorer amongst defensemen for Nashville AHL affiliate Milwaukee in his second pro season. He scored 11 goals with 25 assists and was minus-13 with 85 penalty minutes. The Admirals were swept by the Toronto Marlies in the first round of the AHL playoffs. Bitetto was minus-three with no points and eight penalty minutes in three playoff games. He was tendered a qualifying offer by Nashville in June and signed a one-year contract as a restricted free agent.

Talent Analysis

Bitetto showed improvement in his second pro season — displaying offensive elements to go along with his booming shot and assuming a full-time role at the AHL level. He is a strong, physical player with good size, who finishes his checks but can struggle against skilled forwards and is inconsistent at times defensively.

Future

Bitetto will head to camp with the Predators in 2014-15 after receiving a one-year contract in July but at this point is a long shot to open the season in Nashville. Realistically, he will return to Milwaukee and be counted on as one of the Admirals' top defensemen. He showed the ability to be an effective offensive defenseman at the AHL level and with improved consistency can one day be a lower pairing NHL defenseman capable of contributing on the power play.

Photo: After spending last season as one of the Liiga’s best starters as a 19-year-old, Juuse Saros is performing well as a rookie goaltender in the AHL (courtesy of Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire)

Coming off of last year’s breakout season the Nashville Predators went into the 2015-16 with their roster largely intact. With much of the lineup from last year intact, and free agents Cody Hodgson and defenseman Barret Jackman added in the offseason, there were few opportunities for rookies to crack the Predators lineup.

Photo: Nashville Predators prospect and 2010 first-round pick Austin Watson has established himself as a consistent player in the AHL while waiting for his NHL opportunity (courtesy of Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

Entering the 2010 NHL Draft the Nashville Predators were coming off a successful regular season followed by yet another disappointing first round series loss in the playoffs.

Nashville finished third in the Central Division in 2009-10, reaching 100 points for the third time in five seasons, but lost to eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago in six games in the first round. This marked the fifth straight time Nashville lost in the first round and the Predators would not win their first playoff series until the 2010-11 season.

Photo: Nashville’s top prospect Kevin Fiala is scoring nearly a point-per-game in the AHL since arriving in Milwaukee. (courtesy of Dennis Pajot/Getty Images)

Filip Forsberg’s Calder Trophy-caliber campaign has pushed Nashville to the top of the NHL standings, making his the most notable graduation of the season. Add to that the trade that sent Brendan Leipsic to the Leafs, Patrick Cehlin’s return to Sweden, and solid pro seasons for Calle Jarnkrok and Taylor Beck, and the result is a shake-up in Nashville’s Top 20.

Photo: Nashville Predators forward Calle Jarnkrok has played a depth role in his first full season (courtesy of Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire)

The Nashville Predators continue to be one of the top turnaround stories in the 2014-15 season — leading the Central Division with a record of 33-12-6 under first-year coach Peter Laviolette. For the most part Nashville has relied on a corps of veteran forwards having bounce back seasons. With one notable exception – 20-year-old rookie left wing Filip Forsberg. Read more»

Photo: Nashville Predators prospect Austin Watson has been an inconsistent scorer for the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL (courtesy of Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

The Milwaukee Admirals have one of the youngest lineups in the American Hockey League — with nine first-year pros and 15 players 23 years of age or younger, including both goaltenders. Three of those rookies are among the scoring leaders for the Admirals while both goalies have been impressive at times.